1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to a clip which is inserted and fixed in a mounting hole formed in a part such as a body panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Clips are used to attach a part such as a trim board to a part such as a body panel of a motor vehicle.
JP-UM-2571374-B discloses a clip having a support bar which includes a head portion and a leg portion, the leg portion being formed so as to be suspended from a central portion on a lower surface of the head portion, wherein at least three or more skeletal pieces are formed so as to project from the support bar along a radial direction and along a height direction of the support bar with a projecting width which allows the skeletal pieces to be inserted into a mounting hole with almost no space, wherein an elastic engagement piece which is permitted to be deformed inwards is formed at a tip portion of the skeletal pieces so as to extend along a circumferential direction of a circle which would be formed about the support bar as a center and have a radius equal to the projecting width of the skeletal piece, wherein a locking projection edge is formed on an outer circumferential surface of the elastic engagement piece in a position which is closer to its free end so as to project to be brought into engagement with a hole edge of the mounting hole, wherein a connecting portion with the skeletal piece is provided on the elastic engagement piece along a height direction of the skeletal piece, and wherein a lower edge of a portion of the elastic engagement piece which is made to extend in the circumferential direction is made to be a free end edge along a full length thereof.
The head portion is made up of a shaft piece and a plurality of flange-shaped pressing pieces which are provided on the shaft piece. A height-wise range where the elastic engagement piece is provided is made to range from a height position where the elastic engagement piece can be connected to a lower surface of the pressing piece in a lower stage to a position which lies slightly lower than a center of the skeletal piece. Namely, the elastic engagement piece has a construction in which its lower end portion is made to constitute a free end, while its upper end portion is connected to the pressing piece.
In the clip disclosed in JP-UM-2571374-B, however, since the elastic engagement piece which deforms when inserted into the mounting hole is connected to the lower stage pressing piece of the head portion at the upper end portion thereof, the elastic engagement piece is made difficult to deform at that portion, and when push inserting the clip completely into the mounting hole, a strong inserting effort is required in a final inserting stage, causing a problem with workability in mounting.
Although the elastic engagement piece is connected to the lower stage pressing piece at the upper end portion thereof, the elastic engagement piece is made free at the lower end portion thereof so that the elastic engagement piece is made easier to deform at the lower end portion. Therefore, for example, when a large external force is applied to the clip in a radial direction, the clip cannot be held by the elastic engagement pieces. As this occurs, the clip is to be held by at least the three skeletal pieces which project from the support bar. However, the clip cannot be held sufficiently only by these skeletal pieces, resulting in a case where the clip is forced to move from a given position.